Filtration in general

Deciding what type of filtration your new or existing pond needs depends on the level of water quality you wish to achieve. Do you want clear water for your fountain display? Or do you need to sustain the life of plants and koi for many years? At the very least, most pond keepers want clear, algae-free water. Koi enthusiasts demand more pristine water conditions with no ammonia or phosphate, and plenty of nitrifying bacteria to break down dangerous waste products into beneficial fertilizers.

Here's a quick overview of the most common filtration types available, and how they help improve the quality of the water in your pond:

Biological Filtration
Biological filters use nature's nitrogen cycle to detoxify organic waste products. A colony of ammonia-eating bacteria grows in the filter's biomedia (lava rock, plastic pin balls, foam, and so on) and breaks down decaying waste into less dangerous nutrients. Keeping your pond free from ammonia is essential for koi health, and bio-filters also help eliminate the waste products which lead to excessive algae growth.

Filtration Quick Guide
Filtration Type	Helps Eliminate:
	Algae	Debris	Discoloration	Toxins
Biological	X			X
Mechanical		X
Chemical	X		X	X

Mechanical Filtration
Mechanical filters either strain or skim debris like leaves, stirred up muck, and free-floating algae out of your pond. This helps to prevent clogs in other pond equipment as well as reduce the amount of decaying materials from settling on the bottom. They do this by straining water through media of varying densities/thicknesses (typically sponges or pads). A specialized mechanical filter called a " skimmer" is designed to grab leaves off the surface of the water, whereas other mechanical filters generally strain out suspended particulates.

Chemical Filtration
Chemical filtration helps "clean" your pond by removing organic and inorganic pollutants with specialized media like carbons and resins. If your pond water has high levels of ammonia from too many fish, a brown tinge from dissolved organic compounds, or a greenish hue from free-floating algae, adding the right chemical media to your filter or waterfall can help resolve the problem.

Combination Filters

Many filters combine multiple types of filtration for efficiency. For example, a multi-filter may include sponge media and an empty chamber. The sponge media is both mechanical and biological, as beneficial bacteria grows on the sponge used to strain out debris. The empty chamber is available for you to add "tea bags" of chemical media to target specific problems with your water conditions.

For optimal long-term results, invest in the filtration system that best fits your budget, your comfort level, and your unique pond setup.

External or submersible filtration - which is right for me?

Not sure whether to implement a submersible (internal) or external pond filter? Consider the following…

Submersible filters are:

• installed directly in the pond
• intended for smaller ponds (typically less than 2,000 gallons)
• easier to plumb
• more difficult to wire for electricity
• more difficult to access for maintenance
• easier to disguise

External filters are:

• installed outside of the pond
• intended for larger ponds (up to 21,000 gallons)
• more difficult to plumb
• easier to wire for electricity (and less likely to cause shorts)
• easier to access for maintenance
• harder to disguise (and often require housing to protect from the elements)

You can buy any type of filter right from this Blog by clicking the Amazon Ads on the sides..Useful Products!

Koi fish

Japanese koi fish has become an amazingly popular hobby over the last several decades, and rightly so.

Keeping koi fish is not only very enjoyable, but it is also a responsibility, as you have to keep an entire marine ecosystem, of which the koi is the pinnacle, healthy and vibrant.

This requires good knowledge as well as an adequate budget.

But the learning, as well as the admiration of these fish, is actually as fun a part of koi fish care, juts as much as watching your koi develop over the years before your eyes.

But it’s a good idea, especially for beginners, to do some learning first before setting up your first koi pond of course, as koi require an investment in time and learning.

Japanese koi have been popular because of these reasons:

1. They're very beautiful, as well as a sturdy with an ability to survive even in freezing conditions.

2. They're suited to large ponds and can grow to over 1-2 feet in length, and this provides the rare pleasure to watch fish swim and prosper in a large outdoor or indoor ponds in a more natural environment.

3. You’ll eventually be able to hand feed your koi when they gain your confidence, and this is a way that we humans really start to bond with our koi, and vice versa.

4. Some koi are worth thousands of dollars, and are a thriving industry for koi breeders.

5. They are believed to bring good fung shui, or luck, in Chinese culture.

There are various Japanese koi fish types and varieties available, and they’re classified by the Japanese, according to mainly their color characteristics.

It’s a good idea to view a few koi fish auctions online to get to know the koi species better and to decide if there are certain varieties that you’re more interested in. The resources here will give you an introduction to the koi varieties available.

If you’re new to koi care, get to know a quality local supplier or importer of Japanese koi, if there is one, and to find out more about the kind of stock that are available locally. Check out the information on this site on how to choose koi fish, if you’re looking for koi for sale online or locally. You’ll also find here a list of the top online koi suppliers.

Looking at building a new koi fish pond in your garden? You'll need to know what factors to consider in terms of pond design, pond size and depth, pond construction before deciding to build your own koi fish pond or to have one built for you.

Probably the most important part of keeping koi, as well as getting the best quality stock that you can afford, is understanding and properly using important koi pond supplies. These supplies for your koi fish pond can be found locally or online, and your requirements will differ according to whether you’re setting up a new pond or maintaining, or improving your existing one.

How to feed

Tetra Koi vibrance fish-food is a natural color enhancer for your fish.Containing essential vitamins and nutritional content for your fish,this summer food is lightweight and will quickly soften upon contact with the waters surface.Koi vibrance is easy for your fish to digest and will reduce the amount of water contamination caused by fish waste.This vibrance formula will float on your waters surface longer so you can have fun feeding your fish.

Cleaned my Koi-pond

Took me quite some time cleaning my Koi-pond actually,but it was well worth it!
Still need to do some more work tomorrow :P

Have a good laugh!

Jokes

Just for fun, here's some pretty sad Koi jokes for you!

1. Why did the fish leave a false name?

Because he wanted to be Koi.

2. Did you hear about the happy Kohaku?

He was HI on life.

3. What do you call a fish with no eyes?

Fsh.

4. Why did the Koi get fat?

Because his scales were broken.

5. How does the brown Koi like his food?

Cha-Grilled.

6. Why did the female Shusui always go for the tri colour ed Koi?

Because they could always Show-a, a good time.

7. What did the Terminator koi say to the other Koi?

I'll be Bekko.

8. What do you call a slippery news reporter?

Koi-respondent.

9. What do you get if you cross a Wolf with a Koi?

A Koiotie.

10. Where do fish keep their money?

In the river bank.

11. What do you call a koi who performs magic?

Magikarp.

12. What do female koi call a handsome tosai male koi?

A koi-toy!

13. What did the male koi say to the female koi?

I'll showa mine if you showa yours!

14. What travels down a river at 100 mph?

A Motor-Pike And Side-Carp!

15. A koi walks in to a library and says have you got any books on suicide?

The owner said we used to but they never seem to come back

16. What would Captain Cook say to a Koi?

A-kio there !!

17. Two fish in a tank one says to the other one

“how do you drive that thing"

British fish fan splashes worlds largest koi carp.

A British fish fan has taken delivery of the world's biggest koi carp - a 4ft monster that tips the scales at a staggering six-and-a-half-stone.

The mammoth fish - nicknamed the Big Girl - is the size of a 12-year-old child and three times larger than any other carp in the UK.

Enthusiast Geoff Lawton paid an undisclosed sum for the 17-year-old koi from a specialist breeder in Japan. But he has already put a £30,000 plus price tag on the 90lbs specimen..

Geoff Lawton fan has taken delivery of the world's biggest koi carp - a 4ft monster that tips the scales at a staggering six-and-a-half-stone

Geoff, of Melksham, Wiltshire, said: "We've got some really big fish here - 25, 26 lbs - but she is more than three times bigger than that.

"We know she's the largest coloured carp every exported out of Japan - where you find the largest ones - and there's certainly been nothing like her in Britain before.

"She's swimming around our show pool at the moment, and every time I look at her, I'm still gobsmacked."

Geoff, 54, who runs the family-owned Rainbow Koi shop, added: "I don't want to sell her at the moment, but I wouldn't take £20,000 for her, or even £30,000. She's a treasure."

Big Girl was yesterday settling into her new home, an 8ft-square show pool in the centre of Geoff's shop.

She is a kagoi carp, which have a orange or gold scales and can live for more than 40 years.

British Angler Graham Slaughter, 42, caught the world's then biggest carp - weighing a whopping 88.6lbs - in a lake in France earlier this year.

It was said to be the first ever captured carp to weigh more than 40 kilos.

Create an environment for YOUR Koi

The popularity of ponds is exploding, and with it the keeping of koi. The rewards of the koi pond are great. A well-designed koi pond adds beauty and a sense of style wherever it is located. The size, colors, and graceful swimming of koi present an effect that is at once beautiful, serene, and dramatic. It is, however, the unique interaction between the koi and the keeper that make it a truly special hobby.

Koi are hardy and relatively easy to raise. However, to ensure their health and optimize enjoyment of their company, enthusiasts need to plan their pond environment carefully. Not just any pond will do. Only after the right pond is constructed, or refurbished, should the selection and acquisition of koi begin.

What Koi Need

Lots of water - The ideal setup for koi is a pond of at least 1000 gallons with a smooth gravel substrate, rocks, and hearty plants. Koi are moderately cold tolerant, well suited for ponds in most climates.

One of the keys to their popularity is their rate of growth and size at maturity. Koi can grow to eight inches in length in their first year, and twelve to sixteen inches by the end of their second year. Under ideal conditions - perfect pond size, temperature, water quality, and food availability - they will grow as long as thirty-six inches and weigh over forty-five pounds. Due to the size limitations of most household or corporate ponds, however, koi seldom achieve this size. An average mature length of twenty-one inches is more common.

In addition to adequate surface size, a good pond for koi will be at least three to four feet deep. Here koi will find the cooler water they need during the warm summer months.

Cold protection - Koi have been bred to survive the brief, cold winters of Japan. Like most fish, they need time to adjust to variations in temperature, so care needs to be taken in their handling.

Koi can remain outdoors so long as the pond does not freeze too deep. A 6-8 inch thick ice cover over a 3-4 foot pond is acceptable so long as a substantial area of surface water is open at all times to allow for gas exchange. A bubbler will help circulate the water and may prevent freezing in cool climates, but for colder regions a de-icer will be needed to maintain an open area.

Care and companionship - Unlike the goldfish won at the carnival or fair, koi live a long time…possibly a very long time…an average of somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five years. Exceptional koi have been known to live up to 200 years. To say that this requires a long-term commitment is an understatement. Few dispute that the effort is worthwhile. In fact, once attached to your fish, you may find yourself moving them with you should you ever need to relocate.

Trained to hand-feed, koi will come to recognize you personally. Also, because koi are gregarious, they interact well together. They actually prefer company and will swim together in formation. Although they are peaceful fish, they do feed aggressively. Watching the boil of koi at feeding time is fun and exhilarating.

Oxygen - Koi are hardy, but they always need good-quality, well-oxygenated water. Thus, installing awaterfall or fountain is a good idea.

During active, summer feedings the amount of waste created by the koi will increase. If the water tests high for ammonia or nitrite, it is especially important to take action: increase oxygen levels and do a partial water change.

Filtration - Substantial mechanical and biological filtration should be provided in order to maintain proper water conditions. The ideal pond will have a bottom drain to facilitate water changes and waste removal. With the addition of a high volume filter, many swimming pools have been successfully converted for use as koi ponds.

A good diet - The appearance and health of koi are dramatically impacted by diet. The staple diet of koi is a quality pellet or flake food that does not exceed 30% protein. But to optimize growth potential and color, it is also important to supplement their diet. A balanced diet will vary seasonally to include a mix of wheat germ, protein,fruits, vegetables, plankton, shrimp, and color enhancing foods. Also, because foods may lose nutritional value with age, you should watch dates on packages and be sure that all foods are fresh.

Containing ingredients like spirulina and carotene, color enhancing foods work very well to bring out the brilliance of koi. During use of these products the white areas of the fish may develop an orange or yellow cast. To maintain brilliant white areas, many enthusiasts alternate the use of color enhancing foods with other quality diets.

Careful feeding - koi have no true stomachs and cannot store fats. The only result of overfeeding, and it is a negative one, is an overload of nutrients in the pond which can lead to serious problems, including excessive algae and poor water quality. It is especially important not to feed koi at all when the water temperature dips below an average of 40 degrees. During this time, the bio-filter in the pond shuts down, making any addition to the bio-load in the pond a hazard. At the same time, the bacteria koi use to process their food cease to work.

Plants - koi and pond plants are excellent for one another. koi waste feeds plants. Plants create oxygen, and their shade helps cool the water and protect the koi. But because koi are omnivorous and eat plant matter, they will definitely eat the roots of pond plants, and will dig hard to get to them. It is recommended that a barrier be constructed - stone, large rocks, baskets, and so on - to isolate plants, not eliminate them.

Koi enhance their own color by eating certain algae. The last thing you should want to do is wipe out algae populations with controls like copper sulphate. Instead, make selective use of products like Algae Fix, or natural controls like barley straw. These will reduce populations, leaving algae available for koi feeding.

In addition to helping control algae, koi also help control mosquitoes by feeding on their larvae, reducing the need for pesticides.

Protection from predators - Due to their brilliant color and size, koi are seldom hard to spot. As a result, they need protection from natural predators such as large birds and mammals. When the Spray Away motion detector senses a predator, the unit directs a 3-second blast of water across the pond to startle it away. Netting will keep most birdlife out. If raccoons, bears, or other large predators threaten, electric fencing may be necessary to keep them out. Keepers of corporate ponds also find that they need to protect their koi from well-meaning employees who want to feed them, often with inappropriate foods.

By starting with the right setup, your koi will thrive for years to come. Management will be simplified, greatly boosting your enjoyment.

Koi should be stocked based on a reasonable estimate of their full growth, not on their size at purchase. Most well-maintained ponds will support 1" of fish per ten gallons of water. Though some koi in the largest ponds will grow to 36", we recommend using an average of 21". The following chart will help estimate the number of fish your pond can support. If you choose to "overstock" your pond with smaller koi, or if fish grow beyond the 21" estimated average, it may be necessary to remove fish to maintain a healthy balance. Stocking Guide: Typical Pond Size Surface Square Feet Gallons at 3' Depth Inches supported 21" koi supported Gallons at 4' Depth Inches supported 21" koi supported 6 x 8 48 1077 107 5 1436 144 7 9 x 9 81 1817 182 8 2423 242 11 9 x 12 108 2423 242 11 3232 323 15 9 x 16 144 3232 323 15 4308 431 20